


A feeling is all we humans have

by locheia



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Short & Sweet, Star Trek References, kinda sorta, literally just cute stupid fluff, might be a lil ooc ive not watched this show n a while but i still love it dearly, the title is part of a st quote
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/locheia/pseuds/locheia
Summary: Soft, sweet, simple Trobed fluff. Complete with pancakes, blanket forts and those three little words.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 16
Kudos: 126





	A feeling is all we humans have

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beatricebutnotreally](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beatricebutnotreally/gifts).



> For my friend Bea (if you don't mind me calling you that!) who I am very happy to be mutuals with and whose taste in fictional characters is unparalleled. You are a kind and a good person, and I hope you never forget it. Sorry this got to you so late, but I hope you and every other reader likes it <3

It’s a silent morning on Greendale campus, broken only by the quiet song of common starlings nesting in the trees outside. Abed knows they’re common starlings because he did extensive research after Troy sleepily asked him ‘What bird is that?’ last month. Speaking of his roommate and boyfriend, Troy is still asleep, his head resting in the crook of Abed’s neck. His chest slowly rises and falls, the slight movement comforting to Abed.

3 months, 1 week, 17 days, 5 hours and approximately 8 seconds is how long Troy and Abed have been dating, although it’s hard to distinguish their relationship from before to the one they have. In a way, Abed supposes, they were always comfortable with each other from the moment they met, much more than he’s ever been with anyone else. His gaze slowly falls onto Troy, who’s smiling gently in his slumber, arms slung across Abed’s chest in a protective position. 

Abed doesn’t really want to get up, but he has a routine now, and he would hate to break it. The sheets rustle as he carefully extracts himself from Troy’s embrace, allowing cool air to seep under the duvet. Brushing hair away from his face, Abed’s feet make contact with the equally chilly floor and he pads away from the bed and to the living room. He quickly makes his way over to the kitchen, and stifling a yawn, sets up all the ingredients to make pancakes. Admittedly, Abed isn’t exactly fond of cooking this early in the morning- he would rather stay in bed and laze about - but there’s a good reason for it. When they were entrenched in the middle of the pillow war, Abed regretfully sent an email to his troops about everything Troy was distracted by. He wasn’t proud of what he’d done, but in that list he’d noted that Troy liked the smell of food. So when they’d started dating, Abed enjoyed waking Troy up with the scent of breakfast foods - his favourite being pancakes. The act of cooking isn’t also the most fun, but it’s following instructions, making it very easy. Eggs, flour, milk, a little bit of salt and you end up with something delicious. Something that makes Troy smile. Abed works quietly, moving off muscle memory, when he suddenly hears a noise behind him.

Troy smiles in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. “Hey.”

“Morning,” Abed says.

They don’t need to say anything else. It’s strange for two people so talkative to keep their mouths shut, but maybe it’s because it’s the two of them together that they can be quiet. It’s not as if there isn’t anything to say - just there’s no need to say it. The sunlight spilling out from the windows is the special kind of golden, illuminating the dust dancing in the space between them. There’s the sound of the batter faintly sizzling in the pan, a promise of a delicious meal. The air tastes honey sweet, like the cakes Annie made them to celebrate them getting together in her very Annie-like way. All of it together says the words they’re both running over in their minds over and over. The whole apartment seems to sing it.

But he doesn’t say it out loud. He hasn’t found the courage yet for those three little words that neither of them have spoken aloud. Instead, Abed asks, “Do you want to sit down?”

“Sure.”

The pancakes are flipped over, piled up like little fluffy clouds on Troy’s plate, although they’re about to be drowned under syrup. Abed prefers his plain, a little fruit on the side, but it makes him smile to see Troy vicariously attacking his own pancakes with an insane range of condiments. 

“Hey, these sprinkles are shaped like stormtroopers!” Troy notes with glee, finally breaking the silence, “Cool!”

“Yeah,” Abed responds, “And apparently they’ve got other ones shaped like Darth Vader too.” He looks down at his own plate and then back at Troy. “I thought you’d like them.” It’s phrased in a way that Troy immediately picks up on - it’s not a self-assured ‘you’re welcome’ kind of a sentence, but more of a question. Abed is almost constantly checking on if he’s making Troy happy, which is vaguely strange to Troy. Usually he’s the unsure one, aimlessly moving from place to place, second guessing his choices while Abed is completely sure of who he is and what he wants. 

“I think they’re great,” Troy assures his boyfriend, tossing an unhealthy amount of them over his pancakes to prove the point. “What’s the plan for today?”

At the mention of an organised routine, Abed perks up. “Well, I thought we could start re-watching the original series today.” He stands up and heads to the fridge, unclipping a piece of paper from the door to show to Troy. “If we watch them without interruption until dinner - we can order lunch,” he explains, “then that’s at least 7 episodes.” 

Troy quirks an eyebrow. “Blanket fort?”

Abed nods solemnly. “Blanket fort.”

“Hell yeah!” Troy leaps up, before quickly shoveling the remaining pancakes in his mouth and putting the plate in the sink to be dealt with later. He swallows, before continuing, “I’ll go get the duvet!” 

Abed watches fondly as his boyfriend sprints - surprisingly agile for an ex-quarterback, to the bedroom. He busies himself for another moment longer, tidying up the remaining mess. When he glances up, Troy is standing in front of him, holding a bundle of blankets in his arms, head peeking up above the pillows balanced on top. 

“That’s not all of them,” Abed notes, “We’ve got a few more than in the closet.”

“I know,” Troy responds, voice slightly muffled, “But I know you don’t like the way the red and purple ones look together. Makes you uncomfortable.”

Abed is surprised. It’s true that certain colours next to each other can make him feel uncomfortable, but he didn’t think Troy would remember. He didn’t think that he’d go out of his way like that. 

“Thanks,” he responds softly, feeling a little flushed. He gestures at the pile in Troy’s arms. “You want help with it?”

“Sure.” He takes a few blankets from his boyfriend’s arms and they walk over to the sofa. They quickly begin to work in a comfortable silence. Without saying a word, they know exactly what they need to do, effortlessly responding to each other and exchanging small smiles when their hands touch in passing. It only a takes a few minutes and by the end, the blanket fort is stretching over their heads and cocooning them and the living room. The couch has been tipped over and its pillows distributed over the floor, where the two of them lie down, on Troy’s favourite fluffiest blanket. 

Abed turns on the TV. “Skip the first episode?”

Troy frowns. “Yeah, it’s terrible. And it’s basically just exposition for episodes eleven and twelve.” As he speaks, he rests his hand on Abed’s arm and smiles at his boyfriend. “Hey.”

“Hmm?” Abed looks away from the tv screen and at Troy. While the other man is still smiling at him widely, his eyes betray a slight uncertainty. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing. It’s just-” Troy breaks off as his cheeks become tinged a slight red and he looks away, flustered. “I didn’t think this would be so hard to say.” 

Now Abed’s curiosity is piqued. Usually he and Troy can talk about anything, rarely second guessing their conversations - once they even discussed adoption when they thought that baby had been abandoned. What could possibly be so hard for Troy to say? He can’t be trying to break up with him, right? All of his behaviour this morning has pointed to their relationship being completely solid. There’s no way. But then again (and the thought makes Abed swallow uncomfortably as if there’s some lump in his throat, a new and appalling feeling rising in his chest) he’s never really been good at reading people’s feelings. What if this is it, what if Troy’s about to say those dreaded words-

“I love you.” 

Abed’s gaze snaps up from where he was dissociating, and his eyes widen in surprise. “What?”

Troy is fully blushing now and he can barely make eye contact with Abed. “I know we’ve only been together a short while... but I mean it.” The uncertainty has drained out of his eyes and now his expression is one of utter conviction. “I love you.” 

Mouth slightly parted in shock, Abed freezes for a moment. And then on autopilot, he speaks with the utmost seriousness. “I know.”

Troy’s brow furrows at Abed’s tone, until realisation dawns over his face. He grabs the nearest pillow and with a mild amount of force, hits his boyfriend square over the head. “That’s not funny Abed!” He states, unable to keep from giggling, “I was being sincere and everything! I even asked Britta for help with how to say it! How dare you!” He punctuates the last sentence with another thump to Abed’s head, before tossing the pillow away and crossing his arms petulantly. 

“You asked _Britta_ for relationship advice?” Abed asks, a small and rare smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

Troy blinks. “Yeah, okay, that probably wasn’t my best idea. But still, that was so rude-”

“I love you too.” Abed cuts across. He pulls Troy closer to him and gazes at his boyfriend adoringly. “I love you.” 

Troy’s mouth parts in shock. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, until he takes Abed’s face in his and kisses him with a tenderness that makes his boyfriend almost melt from how loving it is. When they part, Troy’s eyes are shining. “I’m so lucky to be with you,” he professes, voice softer and almost breathless from the swell of emotions crashing over him. 

Abed takes his hands. “I’m luckier.”

They sit there for what feels like an hour but can only be a few seconds, until Abed pulls one of his hands away and grasps the remote, looking back at the TV screen. “Okay. You ready?”

Troy nods. “To boldly go where no man has gone before!” 

Abed grins and presses play, gently resting his head on Troy’s shoulder, feeling safe in Troy’s arms. He could do this forever – and with luck, and _love_ , he will.


End file.
